In focus: GOC consults on education strategic review

After an opening welcome from chair Gareth Hadley, the format and objectives for the meeting were introduced by GOC director of strategy Alistair Bridge who explained the GOC has already consulted widely on education reform and the 55 detailed and thoughtful responses had been distilled into 11 themes.

Education Strategic Review project director Claire Herbert then took the group through the 11 themes as follows:

Concept 1: Standards for Education Providers

Currently the GOC imposes a level of detail on educators that it acknowledges as counterproductive in terms of innovation, flexibility and adaptation to changing needs of patients and healthcare systems. It is exploring the idea of a single set of high level standards for all education providers which may include: the content of optical and optometric programmes; course design and delivery; student support; policies and procedures; quality assurance; learning outcomes to be achieved on registration.